It stands to reason most NBA fans didn’t know who Braiden Bell was before Thursday morning, when he was announced as the new TV play-by-play voice of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Unfortunately, they knew his name by Thursday evening, when the NBA franchise announced it was moving on from Bell after discovering several offensive social media posts he wrote as a teenager.
“The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments,” the team said in an official statement. “Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.”
KGW reporter Devon Haskins first reported on Bell’s offending posts, which included several misogynistic and racist tweets in 2012 and 2013, when he was a teenager.
On Friday, the 29-year-old Bell released a statement apologizing for the posts he wrote at 14, adding that they “have no reflection of who I am today.”
“I regret this being the first impression to many of you online, but I can take solace in knowing that the people who truly know me understand that this is not the kind of person I am, “wrote Bell on X. “Again, I’d like to apologize to anyone who was hurt by my words and will continue to always treat people with kindness and respect.”
— Braiden Bell (@braidenbellpxp) October 2, 2026
The whiplash affair sparked intense discussions across social media about the standards people should be held to for what they said online in the past, especially before they become adults.
In what might be another example to add to that discussion, Haskins’ own social media history became fodder for those looking to showcase a presumed double standard. He deleted his X account on Friday.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.